British Royals Share Hundreds of Family Snaps on Flickr

LONDON (July 25) -- Britain's Queen Elizabeth II is one web-savvy royal. The 84-year-old monarch has already given her royal stamp of approval to a Buckingham Palace Twitter feed and YouTube account. And from Monday, the queen will officially start showing and sharing her favorite family snaps on the Flickr photo site.

The online photo album will boast some 600 images when it debuts Monday, including many pictures of recent royal engagements and some classic shots of Queen Elizabeth's ancestors. Among the highlights is a rarely seen 1854 sepia-toned picture of a clearly besotted Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, that shows the couple in court dress, gazing lovingly into each others' eyes. Another black-and-white 1929 photo catches a cute and curly haired 3-year-old Elizabeth enjoying a tea party with her parents -- the Duke and Duchess of York (later George VI and Queen Elizabeth).

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Flickr Gets a Royal Treasure

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II is launching a Flickr photostream Monday with more than 600 historic and current photos of the royal family. Here, the Prince and Princess of Wales with their sons, Princes William, then 6 (right) and Harry, then 4, sit for a portrait in 1989.

Flickr Gets a Royal Treasure

The collection includes photos going back to about 1861, with Queen Victoria and her husband, Prince Albert. Here, Queen Elizabeth II smiles during a July visit to Castle Douglas in southwest Scotland.

Flickr Gets a Royal Treasure

England's soccer team ambassador David Beckham (centre) poses with Prince William (left) and Prince Harry at a reception in Johannesburg this summer.

Flickr Gets a Royal Treasure

Prince Harry on patrol in 2008 in the deserted town of Garmisir, Afghanistan. The royal was posted in Helmand province.

Flickr Gets a Royal Treasure

Then-Princess Elizabeth holds her son, Charles, after his christening ceremony at Buckingham Palace in 1948.

Flickr Gets a Royal Treasure

The site also boasts a charming note sent to Elizabeth's mother by Clara Knight, nanny to the young princess. The letter, which accompanied a photograph of the future Queen and is dated March 8, 1927, reads: "If mummy looks into my wide open mouth with a little magnifying glass she will see my teeth. Elizabeth quite well and happy!"

Royal watchers will find it easy to browse around the site, as each family member has their own gallery. Prince William fans, for example, will find a collection photo album entirely dedicated to him, which includes shots of the second in line to the throne meeting wounded British soldiers, and hanging out with soccer star David Beckham ahead of the FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Those who prefer his younger brother, meanwhile, can flip through pics of Harry decked out in combat gea r while serving in Afghanistan and doing charity work in the African kingdom of Lesotho.

Unfortunately, anyone wanting to leave messages about Diana, the Princess of Wales' glam frocks, or discuss the yellowing of Prince Charles' teeth, won't be able to share their thoughts on the site. Buckingham Palace has turned off the comments option on their account.